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At the end of the Civil War, most of the veteran soldiers wanted nothing more than to return to their normal lives and put their military service behind them. But in 1866 a small group of men formed a veterans' organization intended only for Union Civil War soldiers. They wanted not only to make a social group from the returned veterans but also to influence the political process. At first, the Grand Army of the Republic was not very successful, but by the early 1870s interest revived. By the 1880s it had become one of the most powerful and influential groups in the country. This commission, dated 1872, is for South Deerfield, Massachusetts.